A Comparative Assessment of Elite Policy Recruits in Canada

Recent case studies and large-N survey evidence has confirmed long-suspected shortages of public sector “policy capacity”. Studies have found that government policy workers in various jurisdictions differ considerably with respect to types of policy work they undertake, and have identified uneven capacity for policy workers to access and apply technical and scientific knowledge to public issues. This suggests considerable difficulties for government’s ability to meet contemporary policy and governance challenges. Despite growing attention to these matters, studies have not examined the “elite” policy workers many governments recruit to address these capacity shortages. Using an established survey instrument, this study of two Canadian recruitment programs provides the first comparative analysis of elite policy recruits, as policy workers. Three research questions anchor the study: (1) What is the profile of these actors? (2) What types of policy work do “elite” policy analysts actually engage in? (3) How does their policy work compare by recruitment program? The article provides fresh comparative data on the nature of elite policy work and policy analytical capacity, but, more importantly, a crucial baseline for future comparative study of how elite recruitment may facilitate “supply-side” capacity gains expected from recruitment programs.     

Political economy,poverty, and polycentrism in the Global Environment Facility’s Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) for Climate Change Adaptation

Climate change adaptation refers to altering infrastructure, institutions or ecosystems to respond to the impacts of climate change. Least developed countries often lack the requisite capacity to implement adaptation projects. The Global Environment Facility’s Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) is a scheme where industrialised countries have disbursed $934.5 million in voluntary contributions to support 213 adaptation projects across 51 least developed countries. But how effective are its efforts—and what sort of challenges have arisen as it implements projects? To provide some answers, this article documents the presence of four “political economy” attributes of adaptation projects—processes we have termed enclosure, exclusion, encroachment and entrenchment—cutting across economic, political, ecological and social dimensions. Based on extensive field research, we find the four processes at work simultaneously in our case studies of five LDCF projects being implemented in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, the Maldives and Vanuatu. The article concludes with a discussion of the broader implications of the political economy of adaptation for analysts, program managers and climate researchers at large. In sum, the politics of adaptation must be taken into account so that projects can maximise their efficacy and avoid marginalising those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.     

《监狱法》缺陷的另类解读——以罪犯服刑能力为视角

《监狱法》的适用为我国改造罪犯、保障人权提供了法律保障,然而《监狱法》也存有一些立法上的盲点,例如对服刑能力的规定就是如此。服刑能力是罪犯接受刑罚惩罚的能力,对一个具备完整服刑能力的罪犯实施惩罚是符合正义的基本要求的,但是,对于一个服刑能力有缺损的罪犯实施强制性改造则是非人道的、非正义的。我国对服刑能力的研究还处于起步阶段,立法上还有许多空白之处,这就使得服刑能力成为刑罚改造实践中的一个盲点。     

九一一事件以来美国反恐过程中的主导性隐喻及其后果

九一一事件后,国际反恐行动似乎已陷入"越反越恐"的怪圈,这与人们对恐怖主义的"越描越恐"密切相关,而隐喻的存在及广泛使用是导致"越描越恐"的重要原因。在恐怖主义的治理中,作为必不可少的思维方式,涉恐隐喻具有启发性,但也因其随意性、凸显与隐藏的特征,限制了人们关于恐怖主义的思想和行为。在美国涉恐的政治、媒体和学术话语中,"恐怖主义是战争""恐怖主义是野蛮的东西""恐怖主义是疾病"和"恐怖主义是不受欢迎的植物"是占主导地位的隐喻。这些隐喻深植于历史、人们的恐惧、社会系统和舆论中,很大程度上代表了人们对恐怖主义的正统看法。进行隐喻分析,使用多种隐喻,一定程度上能缓解隐喻陷阱,但仍不能消除它。因此,在恐怖主义治理的过程中,坚持"犯罪"隐喻为主导、灵活使用多种措施、重建受损的政治秩序、减少对无辜平民的伤害和对穆斯林的歧视尤为重要。     

公民基本权利野视下国家义务的边界

国家义务直接来源于公民基本权利,是公民基本权利的根本保障。然而国家义务并不是绝对的,国家义务以国家权力为运行动力,过度强调国家义务将导致自由丧失殆尽,强调基本权利研究范式转变的同时必须研究国家义务边界。从国家层面看,国家理性和国家能力决定了国家义务所能达到的最大场域;从基本权利层面看,公民基本权利的保护范围和公民基本权利的功能是对国家义务的边界进一步的具体化;从具体法律原则层面看,法律保留原则、比例原则、程序正义原则与公共利益原则决定着国家的实然义务边界。然而,确定国家义务边界并非一蹴而就的事情,还需注意国家义务边界是开放的而非封闭的,确定国家义务边界的各种机制应有共同的目标模式,国家保障基本权利应适时。     

论警察执法能力建设与和谐社会的构建

人民警察执法能力是党的执政能力在公安工作中的具体体现。社会主义和谐社会作为党的执政能力建设的主要任务,理 应成为人民警察执法能力建设的重要内容。人民警察必须加强执法能力建设,切实担负起巩固共产党执政地位、维护国家长治久安、 保障人民安居乐业的重大政治和社会责任,为社会主义和谐社会的构建作出应有的贡献。     

习近平国家制度与法律制度思想论要

习近平国家制度与法律制度思想是马克思主义国家与法的学说中国化进程的最新重大理论成果,实现了马克思主义国家与法的学说中国化的第三次历史性飞跃.面对许多具有新的历史特点的伟大斗争,习近平以马克思主义的巨大理论勇气和坚韧行动意志,从历史与现实、理论与实践的有机结合上,深入分析了推进当代中国国家制度与法律制度建设的重大意义,精...     

Implications of Pseudologia Fantastica in Criminal Forensic Evaluations: A Review and Case Report

Pseudologia fantastica, a psychological phenomenon that has been described in the literature for at least a century, is an understudied and poorly understood entity. Sometimes referred to as pathological lying, pseudologia fantastica involves disproportionate fabrication that may be present for many years or a lifetime. In a forensic context, it can significantly complicate the evaluation of capacity to stand trial and, in certain jurisdictions, criminal responsibility. We review the current literature regarding pseudologia fantastica and present a case to highlight the clinical and forensic challenges it may create. We specifically discuss the complications that pseudologia fantastica may have on the assessment of a defendant's rational ability to consult with an attorney, a required element of capacity to stand trial. In addition, we discuss the implications of pseudologia fantastica in the evaluation of criminal responsibility.     

Missing pieces: an overview of the institutional puzzle

Institutional development has become a core component of international development programmes. Yet, institutional reforms have, to date, had a disappointing impact on poverty reduction in the South. The causality of the links between institutions and poverty reduction and how exactly the institutional environment and development outcomes affect each other is still unclear. A lack of analytical consensus has resulted in vague policy recommendations and a dearth of clear operational guidelines for international development practitioners. This article provides an overview of the main current institutional development debates and gaps in existing research, and identifies some key organisations working on institutional issues in the academic and practitioner spheres. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

我国企业技术创新能力探析

技术创新是企业持续发展的不竭动力,但长期以来经费不足、人才缺乏、体制不活、主题错位、创新意识不强、法制环境不完善等因素,阻碍了企业技术创新能力的发展。为此,应探索提高企业技术创新能力提高的途径,加大企业科研创新的社会化服务功能,营造一种爱科学、学科技、争创新的社会人文环境。